Partnership Grants to Strengthen Families Affected by Parental Substance Abuse Act
(Sec. 2) This bill amends part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act to modify the grant program that provides funding to state and regional partnerships to prevent child abuse and neglect related to substance abuse. The bill redefines "regional partnership" to specify mandatory partners and optional partners engaged in the grant process.
The bill sets the level of grant funding at between $250,000 (currently $500,000) and $1 million per grant per fiscal year.
Grants shall be disbursed in two phases: (1) a planning phase (not to exceed two years), and (2) an implementation phase. The total disbursement to a grantee for the planning phase may not exceed $250,000, and may not exceed the total anticipated funding for the implementation phase.
No payment shall be made for a fiscal year until the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) determines that the eligible partnership has made sufficient progress in meeting the goals of the grant program, and that the members of the eligible partnership are coordinating to a reasonable degree with the other partnership members.
The bill expands the grant program to include parents and families in the grant application process.
HHS shall:
- review (instead of establish) indicators that are used to assess periodically the performance of grant recipients;
- establish a set of core indicators related to child safety, parental recovery, parenting capacity, and family well-being;
Grant recipients must report semiannually (currently, annually) to HHS on services provided and activities carried out under the grant program, progress made in achieving the goals of the program, and the number of children, adults, and families receiving services.
(Sec. 3) The amendments made by this bill are effective on October 1, 2017. The bill allows states and Indian tribes additional time for compliance with requirements imposed by this bill.